Cúchulainn (Final Fantasy XII boss)
Cúchulainn is a boss in Final Fantasy XII. The party fights him in the Garamsythe Waterway. Also it is fought in the International Zodiac Job System trial mode at stage 42 along with 4 Foobars. Bestiary Entry Genus: Esper Classification: The Impure Page 1: Observations Scion created to rid the world of its impurities by swallowing them within himself, in opposition to Nabriales the Majestic, scion of light. The world, however, was more filled with impurity and corruption than even the gods dared imagine, and having swallowed it all, the once beautiful Cúchulainn was transformed into a hideous thing, a deity of filth, and so did he turn against his creators. Wherever his feet should fall, there all life withers to dust. Finding Cúchulainn In order to obtain this Esper, the player must complete the Wraith and White Mousse hunts, which will allow the control of the sluice gates. From the first central area, with the Save Crystal, the player should see four sluice gate switches: 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th area. The player must first switch on No. 3 and No. 10 sluice gates, by lighting up the panels, then move to the South-West (No. 3 area) and find the No.1 Switch and activate it. Next the player must turn off No. 3 and No. 10 sluice gates, and switch on No. 4 and 11, then head to South-East (No. 4 area) and locate and activate another No. 1 sluice gate switch. After returning to the central, the player must finally turn off the No. 11 switch, and turn on the No. 3 panel. Now only sluice gates No. 3 and No. 4 should be on and the player can access the area where Cúchulainn is fought. It is recommended to save the game before engaging him, but one must be quick as he disappears exactly 75 seconds after the player has pulled the switches. Battle Cúchulainn is flanked by Foobars. The battle's special attribute is that health is constantly being drained from all active party members. Because the drain is much faster than Sap and can kill characters, curative gambits are essential. It is important to keep HP above 1,000, because Cúchulainn routinely casts Bio and Malaise which may KO weaker characters. Having Curaja is also a must for this battle. While the Foobars respawn, killing a certain number of them will eventually cull their regeneration. Killing Foobars should be the priority at the beginning of the fight, either by means of Quickening Concurrences, or by directly attacking. To counter Disable and Immobilize, the appropriate anti-status accessories should be equipped when the Impure begins to cast. One should watch out for Invert, because if the characters are disabled, Invert is deadly. Otherwise, with the correct curative gambits on, Invert may even help. Another strategy involves using your whole party to take down the esper in two phases. This strategy is especially effective if you've already obtained the Zodiac Spear and another strong weapon, such as the Deathbringer, and wish to take on the esper before Curaja becomes available at the Port at Balfonheim. In this scenario, you'll have two teams each with two tanks that will be focused on attacking Cúchulainn and one mage who will be casting Cura constantly. Your first team will likely not survive the battle, but they should be able to knock off most of the esper's HP, so you may want to start with your three lowest-level characters. While standing near the Save Crystal in the Central Waterway Control, buff your whole party with Regen, Haste, Protect, and Shell. You may also want to set up Gambits to recast Regen, Haste, and Shell as they wear off. This will also ensure that Regen is cast to combat Sap. Bubble your entire team. (Be aware that although Bubble Belts equip Bubble, they do not fill up your HP bar the way the spell does, so if you have to unequip and reequip them during battle, your HP will not be adjusted.) Buff your tanks with Bravery and your mages with Faith. Equip your primary tanks (or at least your strongest character) with the best available heavy armor to boost their strength and the mage with the best available magick armor to boost their magick power. If you haven't equipped Bubble Belts, use Battle Harnesses for your tanks (boosts strength by 2, in addition to counterattacking) or status-nullifying accessories (Black Belts in particular). Finally, cast Berserk on your strongest tank in each team. Save your game. Once you engage Cúchulainn, switch to a one-person party (or turn off Gambits), and run to the dead end in the northern part of the battle area. This will ensure that Cura hits all team members, as well as preventing your Berserked tank from wandering too far to attack the Foobars that will spawn throughout the battle. Begin reducing the esper's HP, while managing the various status effects he inflicts on you. The main threat to your party will be Disablega, which will be fatal if it hits all members. When the esper begins casting this spell, equip Black Belts to protect your party if you haven't already, or cast Esuna to remove the effect. If you keep your party close together, Immobilizega will be harmless. Once your team members' HP gets close to 1,000, use Quickenings to deal a (hopefully) large amount of damage to Cúchulainn, then allow the team to continue attacking/curing until they fall. Move the fallen characters' equipment to the second team, and continue the strategy until the esper is defeated. Note that if you try to complete this battle with a guest character like Larsa, using the gambit Ally:any > Phoenix Down/Raise may be counterproductive, as the character will likely be KOed early in the battle and soon after being revived. Also, your first team is likely to be KOed regardless, so it may be more useful to focus on using curative spells to keep them alive as long as possible over reviving them as they die. Related Enemies *Adrammelech *Belias *Chaos *Exodus *Famfrit *Hashmal *Mateus *Shemhazai *Ultima *Zalera *Zeromus *Zodiark Category: Final Fantasy XII Bosses